


Sounds Like a Date

by xalypso



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-22
Updated: 2016-04-22
Packaged: 2018-06-03 17:12:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6619255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xalypso/pseuds/xalypso
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan’s a street musician who meets Phil, a finance worker, on the London Underground, and somehow gets asked on a date.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sounds Like a Date

He tapped his fingers lightly on the rail of the escalator, nails clicking, with his foot matching the rhythm. The man’s eyes danced anxiously from side to side as people flooded past, and he lifted a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind his ear. Anyone who paid close attention could see his teeth grinding mechanically inside his mouth when he wasn’t muttering to someone on his phone.  
“Yes, I’ll be there as soon as I can- the Underground’s moving slowly this morning. Townsend’s waiting on my report, I know, it’ll be in by nine.”  
The man hadn’t noticed him watching, he realized. Dan leaned across the rails separating him from the staircase, and towards the second escalator where the man stood. His face was flushed, and he adjusted his suit jacket slightly as another call came in.  
“Lester, speaking.”  
So that was his name. Lester. Dan tried it out, rolling the name across his tongue and toying with the vowels. He’d watched him almost every morning- he knew that he got off at St. Paul’s, and worked in the financial district. Finchley Road to St. Paul’s, every morning, every day, without fail.  
He couldn’t have been much older than Dan himself, and seemed far too young- not to mention incredibly handsome- to be so stressed and working in finance.  
As for Dan, his heart was set on going into acting. Finance and business seemed like the most fantastically boring careers the world had to offer, but the lights of the stage and silver screen pulled him in. The walls of the Underground were lined with adverts, and the allure of the theatre enthralled him and swept him up in dreams of fame and glamour.  
He had to get there somehow, however, so for today, he was setting out once again with his guitar slung across his back and his hands shoved deep into his pockets. Covent Garden was often a good place to busk, or perhaps Trafalgar Square? He had his license, and had auditioned, but he wasn’t on the queue to perform today, so the day was practically free unless he could find an empty pitch on one of the slower London streets.  
Dan had been lost in thought when he realized that the man was halfway down the escalator, and he was closed to being swallowed up by the throng when he turned the corner and disappeared. Impulsively, Dan vaulted the rail into the staircase, and decided to follow Lester. He ran past the shouting man who his guitar had knocked over, and after Lester, diving into the crowd.  
Dan scanned above the crowd, looking for the sign- Central Line, platform three. Lester’s silhouette stood tall above the crowd, and Dan dodged people from every side as he pushed through the crowd and onto the platform.  
As he slowed slightly to lean against the wall and catch his breath, he noticed Lester standing close to the edge of the platform, and stood a little taller to get a better look. Dan glanced to the far end of the platform, and shuddered as a brown rat clutching part of a sandwich scurried under a bench.  
“Excuse me, sorry, sorry.” He stepped past a mother with a small child wrapped like a burrito in a mass of blankets, and edged closer to Lester. This was an angle he hadn’t seen before, and Dan was appreciating the view. His hair was black and carefully styled to fall across his face, and a stud in his ear which caught the light when he turned his head belied his pristine and otherwise professional outfit.  
His tailored suit- probably made of silk, or something ridiculous and expensive- looked as subtle as his slim leather briefcase, and was the exact opposite of Dan’s clothes. Lester’s clothes flattered his body, and Dan couldn’t keep his eyes off the man. In contrast, Dan’s old hoodie and tattered jeans were probably far more comfortable, and besides, a fancy silk suit wasn’t the most appropriate attire for playing guitar on street corners.  
The stone tunnel vibrated as the train became visible in the distance, and Dan caught a whiff of Lester’s aftershave- a light, clean scent, refreshing in the dark and unpleasant station.  
With a screech of wheels on metal, the train pulled alongside the platform and the doors slid open. Dan’s choppy fringe fell over his eyes as he stepped aside, and a flood of people disembarked from the train and onto the platform.  
Lester tried to take a step back, and the heel of his polished leather shoe came down hard on the toe of Dan’s old sneakers.  
“Shit!” Dan yelped, and toppled backwards into the mother with her burrito child. His back landed on the concrete, and he winced as pain flared up in his lower back.  
Lester turned around, eyes wide with worry. “Are you alright? I’m sorry- I’m so sorry- is everything okay?”  
He stretched a hand towards Dan, who sat for a moment before it registered that the hand was there to help him up. Dan reached up, and Lester yanked him back onto his feet.  
He winced slightly, and rubbed his hand across his painful back. “Jeez, mate, watch where you’re going!”  
Lester looked guiltily to the left, before seeming to realize the train was leaving.  
“Um, I’m so sorry,” he said, glancing over his shoulder as he boarded the train, followed by Dan, “I really hope you’re alright.”  
Dan nodded. “I’ll be fine. I was more worried about the mum with her kid.”  
Lester’s eyes widened. “Still- I’m so sorry. My name’s Phil, by the way.”  
He held out a hand for Dan to shake, but Dan only stood for a moment, looking puzzled. Hadn’t he answered the phone just ten minutes ago and said his name was Lester?  
Nonetheless, Dan took the man’s hand warily and shook it. “I’m Dan, Dan Howell.”  
“Like James, James Bond?” said Phil, grinning slightly. “I guess you can call me Phil, Phil Lester.”  
Dan chuckled a little. That explained it- Lester was his last name, rather than his first.  
“Dan- I feel awful about that little incident,” he carried on, cheeks turning slightly red, “Could I maybe make it up to you with dinner tonight?”  
Phil coughed, and Dan’s eyes opened wider. Dinner? He hadn’t realized Phil might be gay too- God, if it weren’t for his aching back, this might just be the perfect day.  
“Um- sure,” he said, conscious of his every action. Phil couldn’t realize how much of a dingbat he actually was.  
“Really?” Phil’s wide eyes looked incredulous. “I’ve seen you around before but, um, I didn’t think you’d actually be gay.”  
“Well, you’d be right.” Dan grinned at Phil’s puzzled face, before explaining. “I’m actually bi, but that’s close enough, right? Where should I meet you for dinner?”  
“I-I’m not actually sure,” stammered Phil, “I really didn’t think you’d say yes. Do you want my number? I’ll text you later- if that’s cool with you, of course.”  
Dan pulled out his phone, and handed it to Phil. “It’s nothing fancy- just turn it on, and put in a contact. There’s no password or anything.”  
Phil laughed slightly, and withdrew a sleek, golden iPhone from his pocket, looking guilty.  
“I’m afraid mine’s not quite so easy,” he said, tapping in a 4-digit code. “Why don’t you put your number in mine, too?”  
Dan nodded, grinning slightly, and tapped his number into Phil’s phone.  
Phil sighed. “We’re nearly at St. Paul’s- I’ve got to get off. Tonight at 6? I’ll text you a place.”  
Dan nodded and smiled again. “Sounds like a date.”  
As he rocked back on his heels in daze, thoughts swam through Dan’s mind. How lucky could one man be?


End file.
